Detecting and correcting thermal stresses in heat exchangers in a petrochemical plant or refinery

• Main Authors: Horn, Ian G, Daly, Phillip F, Victor, Sanford Allan
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.10.2020
• Subjects: ALARM SYSTEMS; BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OFGENERAL APPLICATION; FUELS; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL; HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS,IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT; HEATING; LIGHTING; LUBRICANTS; MEASURING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; PEAT; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; REGULATING; SIGNALLING; SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TESTING; TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES ORSTRUCTURES; TESTING STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; WEAPONS

A plant or refinery may include equipment such as reactors, heaters, heat exchangers, regenerators, separators, or the like. Types of heat exchangers include shell and tube, plate, plate and shell, plate fin, air cooled, wetted-surface air cooled, or the like. Operating methods may impact deterioration in equipment condition, prolong equipment life, extend production operating time, or provide other benefits. Mechanical or digital sensors may be used for monitoring equipment, and sensor data may be programmatically analyzed to identify developing problems. For example, sensors may be used in conjunction with one or more system components to detect and correct maldistribution, cross-leakage, strain, pre-leakage, thermal stresses, fouling, vibration, problems in liquid lifting, conditions that can affect air-cooled exchangers, conditions that can affect a wetted-surface air-cooled heat exchanger, or the like. An operating condition or mode may be adjusted to prolong equipment life or avoid equipment failure.